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Mahan, McIlroy, Walker grouped at Deutsche Bank

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Atop the revised FedEx Cup standings following his win at The Barclays, Hunter Mahan will play the first two rounds of the Deutsche Bank Championship alongside the two men closest to him in the points race, Rory McIlroy and Jimmy Walker.

Mahan jumped 61 spots after his victory at Ridgewood and will make the Tour Championship for the eighth consecutive year. He leads McIlroy by 466 points, while Walker sits 783 points back. The trio will begin the first round Friday at 9:20 a.m. ET off the 10th tee, followed by a 1:40 p.m. start time in Round 2.

The remaining groups will also be set according to FedEx Cup standings, so Americans Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson and Jim Furyk will play together as Nos. 4, 5 and 6, respectively. They will have the inverse tee times of the three men ahead of them in the standings, beginning at 1:40 p.m. off No. 1 and starting the second round at 9:20 a.m. off No. 10.

Here are some early-round groups to keep an eye on at TPC Boston (all times ET):

While the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings are eligible to tee it up at TPC Boston, the field this week will contain only 94 players. Graeme McDowell and Paul Casey both withdrew for family reasons, with McDowell's wife giving birth to the couple's first child on Monday while Casey's wife is expecting a child in early September. Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose opted to sit out this week to rest for the remaining playoff events and upcoming Ryder Cup matches. Jason Dufner's season is officially over after bulging discs in his neck forced another withdrawal. Dustin Johnson, of course, remains on an indefinite leave of absence.